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New American Cyclopædia

The New American Cyclopædia was an encyclopedia created and published by D. Appleton & Company of New York in 16 volumes, which initially appeared between 1858 and 1863. Its primary editors were George Ripley and Charles Anderson Dana.

The New American Cyclopædia was revised and republished as the American Cyclopædia in 1873.[1]

Overview[edit]

The New American Cyclopædia was a general encyclopedia with a special focus on subjects related to the United States. As it was created over the years spanning the American Civil War, the focus and tone of articles could change drastically; for example, Jefferson Davis, the future president of the Confederate States of America, was treated at length as a United States Army soldier and US government politician in pre-war editions.[2]


As was traditional, the entire set was re-issued with the publication in 1863 of the 16th volume. The whole Cyclopædia was again re-issued in 1864.

Annual yearbook[edit]

An associated yearbook, Appletons' Annual cyclopaedia and register of important events of the year, was published from 1861 to 1875 and on to 1902.[6]

Publication history[edit]

The cyclopaedia was revived under the title American Cyclopædia in 1873–6. A final edition was issued in 1883–4, which added supplements to each volume of the 1873 edition. Two analytical indexes were published separately in 1878 and 1884.[7]

Lists of encyclopedias

Carl Burnham (July 2004). . Rare Book Monthly. Retrieved 2018-01-28.

"The New American Cyclopedia, 1857 – 1866: A Time Capsule of the 19th century"

Links to of the American Cyclopædia

digitized volumes